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Advances in flexible lithium metal batteries

柔性锂金属电池研究进展

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Abstract

Flexible energy storage devices are becoming indispensable new elements of wearable electronics to improve our living qualities. As the main energy storage devices, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are gradually approaching their theoretical limit in terms of energy density. In recent years, lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with metallic Li as the anode are revived due to the extremely high energy density, and are considered to be one of the ideal alternatives for the next generation of flexible power supply. In this review, key technologies and scientific problems to be overcome for flexible LMBs are discussed. Then, the recent advances in flexible LMBs, including the design of flexible Li metal anodes, electrolytes, cathodes and interlayers, are summarized. In addition, we have summed up the research progress of flexible device configurations, and emphasized the importance of flexibility evaluation and functionality integration to ensure the wearing safety in complex environment. Finally, the challenges and future development of flexible LMBs are summarized and prospected.

摘要

柔性储能设备已成为改善人们生活品质不可缺少的新型可穿戴电子元件. 锂离子电池作为主要的储能电源, 其能量密度正逐渐接近其理论极限. 近年来, 以金属锂为负极的锂金属电池(LMBs)因极高的能量密度而得以复兴, 有望成为新一代柔性电源的理想替代品之一. 本文首先讨论了柔性锂金属电池需要解决的关键技术和科学问题, 然后综述了柔性金属锂电池的最新进展, 包括柔性锂金属负极、 电解质、 正极材料及其中间层的设计. 本文还总结了柔性电池结构的研究进展, 并强调了柔性性能评估和功能性集成对于确保复杂环境中佩戴安全性的重要性. 最后, 提出了柔性锂金属电池面临的挑战并对其未来发展方向进行了总结和展望.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1804138, U1904195, and 22104079), the Program for Science & Technology Innovative Research Team (20IRTSTHN007), the Innovation Talents (22HASTIT028) and Key Scientific Research (22A150052) in the Universities of Henan Province, and the Key Science and Technology Research of Henan Province (212102210654).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Engineering Center of New Energy Battery Materials, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, 476000, China

    Yongya Zhang  (张永亚), Lilan Yi  (易礼兰), Jinping Zhang  (张金平), Xin Wang  (王鑫), Xincheng Hu  (胡新成) & Wei Wei  (魏伟)

  2. School of Chemistry, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Hua Wang  (王华)

  3. School of Petrochemical Engineering, Liaoning Petrochemical University, Fushun, 113001, China

    Lilan Yi  (易礼兰)

Authors
  1. Yongya Zhang  (张永亚)
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  2. Lilan Yi  (易礼兰)
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  3. Jinping Zhang  (张金平)
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  4. Xin Wang  (王鑫)
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  5. Xincheng Hu  (胡新成)
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  6. Wei Wei  (魏伟)
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  7. Hua Wang  (王华)
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Contributions

Author contributions Zhang Y and Zhang J wrote and revised the manuscript; Zhang Y and Yi L collected and summarized the literature, and contributed to the manuscript writing; Wei W and Wang H revised the manuscript and offered creative proposal for improving the depth and coverage of the review. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wei Wei  (魏伟) or Hua Wang  (王华).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Yongya Zhang received his BSc degree in chemistry from Zhengzhou University and PhD degree in physical chemistry from the East China Normal University in 2018. He is currently a lecture at Shangqiu Normal University. His research focuses on polyelectrolytes, energy storage materials and electrocatalysis.

Wei Wei is a professor at Shangqiu Normal University. He received his PhD degree in materials science and engineering from Beihang University in 2014. He is now the director of the New Energy Battery Materials Research Center of Henan province at Shangqiu Normal University. His research interests include nanomaterials and new secondary batteries.

Hua Wang is a professor at the School of Chemistry, Beihang University. He received his PhD degree in materials science and engineering from Beihang University in 2012. After working as a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for two years, he started his independent research career at Beihang University in 2014. His current research interest is focused on advanced nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage, including lithium/sodium ion batteries and aqueous zinc ion batteries.

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Zhang, Y., Yi, L., Zhang, J. et al. Advances in flexible lithium metal batteries. Sci. China Mater. 65, 2035–2059 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2100-6

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